Abstract
We studied the production of soluble P-selectin (platelet activationdependent granule-external membrane protein) and L-selectin (leukocyte endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1) by cultured mononuclear cells from patients with Graves' disease before and during methimazole treatment. The levels of soluble L-selectin, but not P-selectin, in supernatants from cultured mononuclear cells from patients with untreated Graves' disease were significantly lower than those from patients with euthyroid Graves' disease. There were significant negative correlations between soluble L-selectin levels in supernatants and serum FT4 and FT3 levels in patients with Graves' disease. These results suggest that thyroid hormones affect the production of soluble L-selectin from mononuclear cells in patients with Graves' disease.
